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Allowing yourself to be honest, vulnerable and authentic takes bravery in every setting — especially the workplace. But, when expressed respectfully and appropriately, it can be a catalyst for a more successful career and company. Shanna Tellerman learned this firsthand as founder and CEO of Modsy, an online tool that enables people to visualize ways to decorate rooms in their homes using 3D images of real products. "Without a deep level of trust, collaboration and communication breaks down and sends everything else into a downward spiral," Tellerman says. Luckily, she led the team to change the company culture, causing Modsy to be more successful than ever.

Shanna Tellerman, founder of Modsy.

Shanna Tellerman

Elana Lyn Gross: What inspired you to start Modsy? What was your career path?

Shanna Tellerman: I was inspired to start Modsy when my then boyfriend (now husband) and I moved into our first apartment together. We started the process of designing our home with so much enthusiasm, but it quickly evolved into indecision and frustration. The source of the problem was the inability to visualize all the various furniture options we wanted to consider in our actual space. Without the visual confidence, I simply couldn’t pull the trigger and we were stuck. This was a problem I knew I could solve, and before I knew it I was dreaming up the vision for Modsy.

Prior to starting Modsy, I had a long background in 3D and graphics. I took my first computer graphics courses in college and fell in love. This love for 3D led me to Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center for graduate school, which led to my first startup focused on democratizing web-based 3D development. This company was acquired in 2010 by Autodesk, the leaders in 3D software. I took my only diversion from 3D when I left Autodesk to join the Google Ventures investment team for two years before I started Modsy.

Gross: What were your responsibilities at Google Ventures and how has it helped make you a better entrepreneur?

Tellerman: At Google Ventures, I was a member of the investment team. It was extremely helpful to sit on the other side of the table; I was able to gain a view of the startup ecosystem from the venture capital perspective. This was an invaluable experience for me as an entrepreneur because I gained a tremendous appreciation for so many subtle aspects of the process. I was able to see a wide variety of companies, founders and industries in a very short period of time which helped me truly understand what it takes to stand out in this tremendous sea of opportunity and noise. I also learned to appreciate the importance of the partnerships behind a fund. The dynamics behind-the-scenes are often as important to the fundraising process as the pitch itself.

Gross: What has been the biggest challenge and, on the flip side, the biggest reward of starting Modsy?

Tellerman: For me, the challenge and the reward are one in the same. Creating something from nothing is the challenge and the reward. This includes the team, the product and the business. Some days it’s hard to believe that it all started as an idea in my head! Translating this idea into a functional product that is now used by people every day has been miraculous to see but also extremely challenging.

There have been many hard twists and turns, mistakes I’ve made along the way and tough points where I was not sure we’d make it to the next milestone. In each case, it’s been the incredible team that I’m so lucky to work with that has been the motivation and foundation for everything, they have made it all worthwhile!

Gross: What was the process of creating the tech for Modsy?

Tellerman: The technology at the base of Modsy is our core differentiator, and it’s by far the part that is the most complex. From the beginning, I had a vision for the product which led to a rough outline of the technical components we would need to build. Each component took on more clarity as we tested and iterated along the way with customers. We went fast and built prototypes or did things manually to understand what we needed to build first. We’ve allowed the customer experience to guide us, and then we worked backward to automate what would otherwise be a tremendously timely and costly offering to deliver.

Gross: What advice do you have for other women who hope to start their own businesses?

Tellerman: I believe in evaluating a business based on three things. First, have you identified a problem that you are truly passionate about solving? It is very hard work to start a business, so you have to truly love the product, industry and customer you will be serving. Second, do you have an unfair advantage? Your advantage will either be your depth of expertise in the space or a very unique way to approach the problem. Third, is this opportunity big enough for your goals? Your goals may vary based on the kind of business you will be building but, depending on the size of business you are aiming to grow, you’ll want to ensure that there is a large enough addressable audience to support this size business.

Gross: What is a workday as Shanna like? Please walk me through a day!

Tellerman: I usually arrive at work between 8-8:30 am. I like to start my day talking with a few of the other early risers on the team. I love setting the stage for the day by checking in and spreading positive energy, something I’m usually overflowing with (especially in the morning.)

Much of the rest of my day will be spent divided between working sessions to tackle whatever our top challenge may be at the time, one-on-one meetings to stay connected to my team and external meetings with partners, advisors, media and more.

I try to always carve out lunch and at least another one to two hours of focused working time at my desk each day. I usually head home between 6-7 pm and, on a good day, I try to not to get back online at night (but that’s a stretch goal).

Gross: What are your responsibilities as founder and CEO of Modsy?

Tellerman: My first priority is to ensure that we have a clear vision with a clear strategy that has been articulated into clear goals. I’ve found that the most important thing as a founder and leader is to take the time to really develop and articulate the why, how and what. This is the foundation for everything and, without developing this foundation, we will not be successful as a team. The team and culture are the other half of my responsibilities. The people who work at Modsy are everything. I believe that a great team builds a great company. I spend a tremendous amount of my time supporting and learning from the amazing team we have built.

Gross: What are the most important characteristics someone needs to have to be successful in your role?

Tellerman: Passion, stamina, persistence, confidence and drive.

Gross: What are three characteristics you look for when you’re hiring a new team member?

Tellerman: A hunger to learn and grow, comfort with uncertainty and a passion for what we’re building.

Gross: What are the most important skills for doing your job and how did you develop them?

Tellerman: Communication is an extremely important skill which comes with a tremendous amount of practice, trial and error. You know you are communicating poorly when no one on your team can repeat back the goals, the mission or, even worse, the vision for the company. I find myself constantly asking for feedback and adjusting my communication style to improve this skill.

Playing sports was a strong early foundation for understanding the discipline and rigor it takes to reach a new height. This skill has translated well into my professional career, and I am constantly relying on a deep internal drive to push me through even the hardest obstacles.

Gross: What's the biggest lesson you learned at work and how did you learn it?

Tellerman: I’ve learned how important it is to establish trust in your team. Despite all my previous professional experience, I had not fully appreciated just how important it is to reach a level of deep trust and vulnerability with the people you work with. It took reaching a very low point where things were really not working for me to realize that the source of the problem was me. I had not been fully open, transparent and vulnerable with my team and they responded by not being fully open with one another.

Without a deep level of trust, collaboration and communication breaks down and sends everything else into a downward spiral. Thankfully we were able to recognize the problem and, starting with a really open and honest team offsite, we reversed the course and got our team and company back on track.

Gross: What is one thing that you wish you had known when you were starting out your career?

Tellerman:I wish I had known how to relax and have confidence in the future. I spent a lot of time being anxious about the future when I was just starting out and a lot of useless energy went into worrying. If I had used that same energy to relax, spend time with friends and family or simply redirected it back to my work, it would have been better spent.

Gross: What is the best advice you've ever received?

Tellerman: My parents told me to follow my passion. They were not worried about a career path for me and instead let me follow the path as it unfolded.

Gross: What is your business advice for other young professional women?

Tellerman: Be authentic. The more you align your professional life with your personality, interests and talents the more comfortable and natural it will all feel.

I cover news with a focus on women. My book, "What Next?: Your Five-Year Plan for Life After College" is published by Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. The book teaches readers how to create a five-year plan and has actionable career, finance, wellness, and relationship advice to help them accomplish their goals. Early reviewers have called it “the book every twentysomething needs,” “the go-to guide for life after college,” and “basically the Google Maps for post-grad life.” I have a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and live on the Upper West Side.